Shoe rest



P. E. BURBY SHOE REST Nov. 22, 1938.

Filed March 5, 1937 @V/WUR y cpm as har nwilumml Patented Nwzz, 193s SHOE REST Philip E. Burby, Beverly, Mass., assigner to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 3, 1937, Serial No. 128,844 s claims. (o1. n izs) This invention relates to shoerests for use in machines for operating on shoes, and more particularly to rests for supporting or controlling shoes at the tops of their foreparts.

The

invention is herein illustrated by reference to its use in a toe-lasting machine, but it is to be understood that it is generally applicable to machines for performing various operations on shoes.

An object of the invention is to provide a shoe rest which will afford a firm support for a shoe against pressure applied on its bottom face and will readily adjust itself to different shoes, whether rights or lefts, so as to bear evenly on each shoe over a substantial area and thus avoid danger of excessive pressure on a comparatively small area of the upper. To this and other ends, the shoe rest herein shown comprises a block arranged to press on the top of the forepart of a shoe and mounted for tipping movement to permit it to adjust itself to the shoe, and a flexible cover extending over the block and fastened to supporting means relatively to which the block is thus movable.

Preferably, as illustrated, provision is afforded for universal tipping movement of the block by mounting it on a ball located as near as practicable to the top of the forepart of the shoe, the block being held in place on the ball by the flexible cover.

It is desirable to hold the ilexible cover sufficiently tight over the block to avoid any substantial relative displacement of the cover and the block, and yet to prevent the cover from interfering unduly with the tipping of the block.

In accordance, therefore, with a as the block may have by its` tipping movement further to tighten any portion of the cover. In the construction shown these members comprise rolls -mounted respectively on oppositely inclined faces on opposite sides of the support for, the block, either roll being movable along the corresponding inclined face in a direction to relax its pressure on the cover in response to tipping movement of the block in a direction to tighten the portion of the cover controlled by that roll. At the same time the opposite roll is moved by the block in a direction to `be forced farther outwardly against the cover by the inclined face at that side of the block supportand thus to counteract any` tendency to loosen the cover at that side.

at different inclinations corresponding to different positions Which the block may assume as it adjusts itself to different shoes.

The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing and thereafter pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. l is a view in elevation showing the novel shoe rest in its relation to a shoe in a toe-lasting machine;

Fig. 2 shows the shoe rest in elevation on an enlarged scale, with parts broken away; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line III-III of Fig. 2. For purposes of illustration, Fig. 1 shows a portion of a toe-lasting machine of the character more fully disclosed in a copending application of Arthur F. Pym and Ren E. Duplessis, Serial No. 123,190, led on February 27, 1937. The position of the shoe in the machine is determined by a fixed `plate 2 provided with a plurality of pins t arranged to extend through holes in tne insole into sockets in the bottom of the last, the plate being secured to a bracket 6 on the frame of the machine. In this position the shoe is operated upon by toe-lasting Wipers one of which is shown at 8. The last with its shoe materials is supported under the top of the forepart and is held firmly up against the pins 4 by the novel shoe rest of the present invention which is supported on the upper end of a bar lll. By means fully disclosed in the above-mentioned application the bar lil is raised to carry `the shoe rest into engagement with the shoe and to force it firmly against the shoe after the shoe has been presented in the position determined by the pins Il.

The novel shoe rest comprises a block l2 which serves as a support for parts hereinafter de- 40 scribed and is mounted on an upwardly extending stem i4 on the bar I, the block being held in place by a set screw i6 engaging the stem. Mounted on the upper end of the block l2 is a member I8 which serves as a cup supporting a 45 ball 20 in a complemental recess 22 formed therein, this member having a depending stem 24 extending into an opening in the block l2. Supported on the ball 23 is a block 2 arranged to press on the top of the forepart of the shoe, this 5o block being provided with a complemental recess 28 to receive the upper portion of the ball. The upper face of the block 26 is curved to conform approximately to the contour of the correspondingportion of the shoe, and extending over this which the block 26 may tip in. any direction to adjust itself to a shoe and on which the block is held by the exible cover. In order to minimize friction of the shoe rest on the upper in such movement of the block, the ball 20 is located as near as practicable to the top of the forepart of the shoe. For this purpose the block 26 has therein a recess 36 to receive the upper portion of the cup member I8 and to permit the bearing recess 28 for the ball to be located near the top of the block. The recess 3S is somewhat larger than the member I8 to permit such tipping movements of the block 26 as may be necessary to conform properly to different shoes.

As is desirable, the flexible cover 32, 34 is held suiciently tight over the block 26 to avoid any substantial relative displacement of the cover and the block. It will be evident that under these conditions, by reason of the frictional engagement of the block with the cover, tipping of the block in one direction or another tends to exert a pull on a portion of the cover extending below the block and thus further to tighten that portion of the cover. In` order to prevent the cover from thus offering any undue resistance to the tipping of the block, there is further provided means which acts on the cover to hold it tight but serves to counteract any tendency for a portion of the cover to be further tightened by tipping movement of the block. This means comprises a pair of rolls 38 arranged to engage the lower face of the block 26 and to press outwardly against portions of the Yflexible cover extending substantial distances below this face, the rolls being mounted on oppositely inclined faces D provided on opposite sides of the supporting block I2. It will be evident that the rolls by their outward pressure against the portionsof the cover which they engage assist in holding the cover tightly applied to the block 26. It will also be evident that if the block 26 is tipped so as to tend further to tighten a portion of the cover extending below it, such as that portion at the right-hand side in Fig. 2, the roll 38 at that side is moved upwardly and inwardly along the incline 40 by the pressure of the cover against it, as permitted by the tipping of the block. Accordingly, no substantial further tightening of the portion of the cover engaged by the roll results frornthe tipping of the block, because of the movement of the roll in the direction to relax its outward pressure on the cover. At the same time the roll 38 at the opposite side is moved downwardly and outwardly along the corresponding incline 40 by the pressure of the block thereon and thus counteracts yany tendency to loosen the cover at that side.u Not only are the rolls 38 movable bodily along the inclines 40, but they are free to tip at different inclinations corresponding to different positions which the block 26 may assume in tipping about the ball 2l). They are confined at their ends by flanges 42 on the block I2 at opposite sides of the inclines 40, these flanges being spaced far enough from the ends of the rolls to permit tipping of the rolls. When the shoe rest is withdrawn from the shoe the flexible cover tends by its resiliency, if the block 26 was tipped by the shoe, to return the block and the rolls 38 to what may be termed normal positions, although such return is unnecessary since whatever may be the position of the block prior to engagement of the shoe rest with a shoe, it will readily assume a position determined by the shoe upon pressure of the shoe against it.

A Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoe rest comprising a member arranged to press on the top of the forepart of a shoe, means providing a universal bearing on which said member is loosely mounted to permit it to tip in any direction and thereby adjust itself to the shoe, a support for said bearing means relatively to which said member is thus movable, and a flexible cover extending over said member and fastened to opposite sides of said support to hold the member at all times in place on its bearing and to prevent uncontrolled tipping movement thereof.

2. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoe rest comprising a member arranged to press on the top of the forepart of a shoe, a ball on which said member is loosely mounted, said ball providing a universal bearing for the member to permit it to tip in any direction and thereby adjust itself to the shoe, a support on which said ball is loosely mounted and relatively to which said member is thus movable, and a flexible cover extending over said member and fastened to opposite sides of said support to hold the member at all 'times in place on the ball and the ball in place on the support and also to prevent uncontrolled tipping movement of the member.

3. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoe rest comprising a member arranged to press on the top of the forepart of a shoe and mounted for tipping movement to permit it to adjust itself to the shoe as it presses thereon, a support for said member relatively to which it is thus movable, a flexible cover extending over said member and fastened to said support, and controlling means arranged to act on portions of the cover extending beyond said member to hold the cover tightly applied to the member, said controlling means being movable as said member is tipped to counteract any tendency of the member by its movement further to tighten a portion of the cover.

4. In a. machine for operating on shoes a shoe rest comprising a block arranged to press on the top of the forepart of a shoe and mounted for tipping movements in different directions to permit it to adjust itself to the shoe as it presses thereon, a support for said block relatively to which it is thus movable, a flexible cover extending over said block and fastened t0 said support, and controlling members arranged to press outwardly on portions of the cover extending beyond said block to hold the cover tightly applied to the block, each of said controlling members being movable in a direction to relax its pressure on the cover in response to tipping movement of the block in a direction further to tighten the portion of the cover controlled by such member.

5. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoe rest comprising a block arranged to press on the top of the forepart of a shoe and mounted for tipping movements in different directions to permit it to adjust itself to the shoe as it presses thereon, a support for said block relatively to which it is thus movable, a ilexible cover extending over said block and fastened to said support, and controlling members mounted to roll on inclined faces on opposite sides of said support and arranged to press outwardly on portions of the cover extending beyond said block to hold the cover tightly applied to the block, each of said controlling members being movable along the corresponding inclined face in a direction to relax its .pressure on the cover in response to tipping movement of the block in a direction further to tighten the portion of the cover controlled by such member.

6. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoe rest comprising a block arranged to press on the top of the forepart of a shoe and mounted for tipping movements in different directions to permit it to adjust itself to the shoe as it presses thereon, a support for said block relatively to which it is thus movable, a ilexible cover extending over said block and fastened to said support, and controlling members mounted to roll respectively on oppositely inclined faces on opposite sides of said support and arranged to press outwardly on portions of the cover extending beyond said block to hold the cover tightly applied to the block, said controlling members being movable respectively in opposite directions along the corresponding inclined faces in response to tipping movement of the block.

7. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoe rest comprising a block arranged to press on the top of the forepart of a shoe and mounted for tipping movements in diierent directions to permit it to adjust itself to the shoe as it presses thereon, a support for said block relatively to which it is thus movable, a flexible cover extending over said block and fastened to said support, and rolls mounted respectively on oppositely inclined faces on opposite sides of said support and arranged to press outwardly on portions of the cover extending beyond said block to hold the cover tightly applied to the block, either of said rolls being movable in a direction to be forced farther outwardly against the cover by the corresponding inclined face and the other roll in the opposite direction in response to tipping movement of the block.

8. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoe rest comprising a block arranged to press on the top of the forepart of a shoe and mounted for tipping movements in different directions to permit it to adjust itself to the shoe as it presses thereon, a support for said block relatively to which it is thus movable, a exible cover extending over said block and fastened to said support, and rolls mounted respectively on oppositely inclined faces on opposite sides of said support and arranged to press outwardly on portions of the cover -extending beyond said block to hold the cover tightly applied to the block, either of said rolls being movable along the corresponding inclined face in response to pressure of the block thereon and also being free to tip at diierent inclinations corresponding to different positions of the block.

PHILIP E. BURBY. 

